Ate all your Valentine’s Day chocolate already? Our website is pretty sweet... www.columbiachronicle.com Commentary: Living with Asperger’s See pg. 29
Update with SGA President Kendall Klitzke
Online exclusive video
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013
VOLUME 48, ISSUE 19
Kim one step closer to presidency by Alexandra Kukulka & Tyler Eagle
Campus Editor & Assistant Campus Editor KWANG-WU
KIM,
COLUMBIA’S
only presidential candidate finalist, will be presented to the board of trustees as the search committee’s nominee, according to a Feb. 15 email sent to the college community from Allen Turner, chair of the board of trustees, and Richard Kiphart, chair of the presidential advisory panel and a board member. The 22-member presidential search committee “unanimously” agreed to recommend Kim, who is currently the dean and director of the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, in a meeting Feb. 15, the email stated. Turner said the decision was primarily based on the results of a SurveyMonkey questionnaire that was open to the entire college on Feb. 13, after Kim spoke at two forums at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The forums were
the first time Kim addressed the campus community. A representative from Isaacson, Miller, a search firm the panel hired to aid in the hunt, was impressed with the number of positive responses Kim received, Turner said. “[The panel] was thrilled to hear that,” Turner said. “We read [the surveys], and we thought they were great, but [the representative] said this is unusual. [Kim] really captured everyone’s attention.” According to Turner, the panel considered Kim’s leadership, communication skills and expertise in higher education when recommending him to the board. “We believe the characteristics we described will be evident in the coming years,” Turner said. Mark Kelly, vice president of Student Affairs, who attended the afternoon forum, said he was pleased with Kim and the thoughts he shared with the audience. The community as a whole appreciates the work the presidential advisory xx SEE PRESIDENT, PG. 9
Brain training
by Hallie Zolkower-Kutz
Assistant Sports & Health Editor
attended the event, in addition to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who introduced Obama and referenced his “ladders of opportunity” theme, which says it’s the government’s responsibility to provide pathways for advancement. Early in his speech, Obama mentioned Hadiya Pendleton, the slain South Side teenager who has served as a point of conversation for the ongoing gun control debate. He also noted that 65 Chicago youths died as a result of gun violence in 2012, referring to the figures as a “Newtown every four months.”
THE IDEA OF being able to raise one’s IQ online is tempting, but evidence suggests it could be too good to be true. During the past few years, brain health has gone digital as weband mobile-based brain training programs like Lumosity.com have gained popularity. These programs provide a series of games based on cognitive tests that, with regular use, claim to make users smarter, although some scientists say evidence to support that claim simply doesn’t exist. The digital brain training industry, which includes websites, applications and hardware that relate to cognitive function, has been rapidly growing since 2005 and was worth more than $1 billion in 2012. It is expected to exceed $6 billion by 2020, according to a Jan. 30 report published by the independent market research firm SharpBrains. Lumosity, a popular online brain training program, presents users with increasingly difficult cognitive tests and scores them based on their brain performance index, a standardized scale that allows users to track their progress and compare it to users in the same age group. The program is marketed to people who want to improve their cognitive functioning in everyday life. For example, it features a game called Speed Match that requires users to look at a virtual flashcard and instantly determine whether it matches the card that came before it. The game supposedly exercises the information and processing parts of the brain and is used for faster thinking, increasing reaction times and speeding up cognitive processes. Lumosity utilizes the idea of neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to re-organize itself in response to challenges and stimulation. “Lumosity works much like a gym for the brain,” said Joe Hardy, vice president of research and
xx SEE OBAMA, PG. 40
xx SEE TRAINING, PG. 15
Rena Naltsas THE CHRONICLE
Kwang-Wu Kim, Columbia’s presidential finalist candidate, received an “unanimous” vote by the presidential search committee to be recommended to the board of trustees, according to Allen Turner, chair of the board of trustees.
Obama requests community back-up on violence prevention by Will Hager
Assistant Metro Editor DURING
Kevin Gebhardt THE CHRONICLE
President Barack Obama spoke in Hyde Park Feb. 15 about gun control and violence prevention.
CAMPUS
Discrimination policy changes • PAGE 3
12
SPORTS & HEALTH
Renegades goes indoors • page 14
PRESIDENT
BARACK
Obama’s first visit to Chicago since being re-elected, he addressed community violence, child support reform and increases in the minimum wage, among other topics before an animated audience Feb. 15 at Hyde Park Academy, 6220 S. Stony Island Ave. A cast of Illinois’ prominent political figures, including Gov. Pat Quinn, Sen. Dick Durbin, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy,
ARTS & CULTURE
The fate of The Field Museum • page 22
METRO
Parking rates rise • page 35
INDEX
Campus .......................................................3 Sports & Health ..........................................13 Arts & Culture ..............................................19 Commentary ..............................................32 Metro ........................................................35